Canuck broadcaster Bell Media and CBS in the US have agreed a deal to launch Showtime programming on pay TV and subscription video-on-demand in Canada.

Penny Dreadful

A Showtime programming block will debut on Bell’s The Movie Network this year as a result of its new licensing agreement with CBS Corp, described by the parties as “long-term.”

It makes The Movie Network the exclusive home to new programming from the US cablenet in Canada and also marks the first time the Showtime brand has been used outside the US.

Meanwhile, Bell’s fledgling SVoD service ^[1] CraveTV will become home to hundreds of hours of past, present and future Showtime series, specials and documentaries in English and French.

CraveTV subscribers will “imminently” have access to previous seasons of series such as The Affair, Masters of Sex, Nurse Jackie, Ray Donovan and Penny Dreadful.

The agreement builds upon the previous CBS/Bell agreement that licensed current Showtime series on pay TV in the country.

Kevin Crull, president of Bell Media, said the deal “significantly extends CraveTV’s advantage” over its web streaming competitors ^[2], which include Netflix and Shomi in Canada.

“This is a great moment in the history of Showtime when, for the first time, our award-winning programming will be distributed and aggressively marketed as one brand beyond the US,” said David Nevins, president of Showtime Networks.